Withering Heights
by AGuyOnAComputer
Summary: One interaction was all it took for their relationship to blossom; however, one more was all it took for it to wither.
1. Prologue

So, hey, hello, hi. I guess I'm back, maybe, hopefully. I've done some explaining in my bio, but the reader's digest version is that my past stories are discontinued but will remain up (perhaps I'll rewrite them if there's enough demand).

As for this story, I don't want to say too much, and I don't want to promise anything, but the game plan is to update every other Friday, except this one time, where, because this is just the prologue and it's super short, I plan on updating next Friday (March 22, 2019). Again, no promises and this is subject to change depending on how life/motivation/writer's block goes.

Also, yes, this is the best title I could think of, and, yes, I took it from you know what. I may do some more explaining at the start of next chapter if anyone has any questions.

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**Summary:** One interaction was all it took for their relationship to blossom; however, one more was all it took for it to wither.

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Prologue

The X791 Grand Magic Games had just ended, as had the whole ordeal involving the Eclipse Gate. Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail couldn't feel any happier to put all of that behind her, all the turmoil she and her friends had suffered through the past week. In the end, as she had always believed, her guild came out on top, and showed all of Fiore that all the mocking and insulting that the guild was subjected to during Team Tenrou's seven year absence was ill considered, and that Fairy Tail had no intention of stopping their comeback or halting their rise back to the top.

Lucy felt especially proud of her teammates who, in the past week, defied all odds and conquered the other teams as an unstoppable force on the last day of the Games. Of course, she was a little disappointed that she had missed the spectacle, but she had been a little too preoccupied with trying to regain her freedom, let alone trying to just stay alive. However, the past was the past, and Lucy had to focus on the future.

That task proved difficult for her, though. Even though the Games had ended, even though the Eclipse was behind her, and even though she had to return to Magnolia tomorrow after a wonderful evening at the Great Banquet with all of the other guilds, Lucy still could not get one certain mage out of her mind.

The obnoxious blond had first infiltrated her thoughts and re-entered her life when she and Natsu were out in Crocus before the Games had started. He had acted so cruelly and cockily; it infuriated her. His whole demeanor seemed unrecognizable to her. He appeared as a whole different person to her, different from what he had been not too long ago.

She tried to get him out of her head, tried to remove the thought of him from her mind. Sadly, no matter how much she tried, his invading presence lingered.

Lucy sighed, and looked up from the ground and up at the sky. It was a chilly night in Crocus, yet also a perfectly peaceful one. She was the only one around, but that didn't surprise her—time was stretching into the very late hours of the night, and any sane person would rather rest at this hour than sit in silence at the park atop a hill right outside the city.

In attempts to change her thoughts, she tried to spot whichever constellations she could as if she were trying to spot her spirits. Of course, she spotted all that were visible in no time, and, after a triumphant second, she cursed herself as her mind trailed back to the painful thoughts she had tried avoiding.

Sighing once more, Lucy returned to facing the ground, only to jerk her head up to the left after hearing footsteps approaching from that direction. She took a sharp breath and stopped. After some moments, she exhaled as a figure took a seat next to her on the bench. She returned to staring at the ground.

The two sat there in deafening silence, each one not knowing what to say. One stared down, the other stared ahead.

After several more moments, the latter took a deep breath, and then spoke. "I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here, why I came to you."

Lucy made an effort not to reply. She didn't see the point, nor did she think he deserved a response. She gripped the edge of the bench with her hands. It took all of her willpower not to say anything. She found it painfully ironic, how she desired so little to interact with him and yet it was so trying not to.

The man next to Lucy sighed. "I see you're not in the mood to talk, so maybe we shouldn't."

The silence continued.

After some time, the man sighed once more, and move his hand, placing it atop Lucy's. Lucy froze, and then reluctantly pulled away, much to the other's dismay. She took a long breath, held it for a moment, and then exhaled, attempting to prevent herself from shedding tears.

Soon thereafter, she finally succumbed to the temptation, her mind losing to her heart, and returned her hand to his. After a pause, she looked up and turned to face the figure to her side. He was staring back at her, each pair of eyes affixed on the other.

Lucy couldn't hold it back anymore—a single tear flowed down her left cheek, and she asked the question that she had been dying to learn the answer to.

"Why, Sting?"


	2. Chapter One: A Spring in Her Step

Okay, so, I actually did it, guys—the first chapter on the Friday I said it would go up. Aren't you proud? Anyway, I don't think I have anything else to say right now. I just hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter two should go up April 5, 2019, unless something happens.

Also, please pay close attention to the time stamps! This chapter takes place before the Prologue. Unless another timestamp is posted in the text, everything following a timestamp, even if it goes into a different chapter, is set at that point.

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Chapter One: A Spring in Her Step

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_April, X791_

Lucy wandered the forest, meandering down the trail that had withstood the trials of time. She looked around, admiring the coming of spring and all the life it was bound to bring with it. The earth was damp and the wildlife just as wet. The setting soothed the celestial spirit mage.

Lucy stopped at the fork in the road, and stared ahead of her. The chirping of the birds echoed as the blonde gazed ahead, looking down both paths. They both seemed bustling with wildlife, exploding with the forthcomings of spring.

The mage stood perplexed, wondering which of the two ways she should traverse. At her current place, she could point out no noticeable difference between the trails. However, she had to consider what would lie further ahead. Of course, the bumbling blonde had no clue where exactly she was; however, she did have an idea of the general area. And, so, seeing as she had no other idea, she pulled out one of her precious keys.

"Open: Gate of the Compass—Pyxis!" The mage called forth, and a large red bird with a compass atop its head appeared.

The girl smiled, and looked at the spirit. "Pyxis, I'm a little lost, so I'm gonna need you help."

The bird made a noise indicating compliance and cheerfulness, and Lucy continued. "Which of these two paths leads towards Magnolia?"

After a moment, the bird's compass spun and the bird itself pointed down the trail to the right.

_Ah, so that must be east._ Lucy nodded, and then bade the spirit goodbye, not forgetting to thank it for its help, of course.

After sighing, the girl turned away from the trail leading towards Magnolia, heading down the left path. As much as she would love to head back to Magnolia and join her friends, Lucy had to finish what she had started.

And, so, the mage wandered down the trail leading westward, continuing to admire the lush wildlife, as well as attempting to clear her mind from the sadness that was enveloping her. However much she tried, no matter how distracted she was, the Fairy Tail mage's thoughts always seemed to have some level of distress to them. The cause of this distress, of course, being the loss of the past seven years, the loss of new experiences, the loss of hope within the guild, the loss of her father.

Their relationship had been rocky, but it seemed that her father had changed. The last letter he had sent her proved that point, and it was that letter that had pushed Lucy over the edge. The letter had made her realize the gravity, the intensity of the situation. It wasn't time that she had just lost, it was opportunity.

Suddenly the celestial mage was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard fast footsteps and rustling behind the bushes and the trees. She stared into the forest around her, squinting her eyes to better see through all the overgrowth. It took her a little while, but she noticed a figure dashing towards her, showing no intention of stopping.

Unsure of what to do, Lucy just stood there, until the very last second when the figure made it onto the trail and was about to collide with her. She attempted to move, but, seeing as she had delayed moving for so long, she didn't completely evade the incoming person.

Her leg had tripped the man, dragging both of them down to the ground. This, apparently, didn't sit too well with whoever this person was. And Lucy could see why: all of his possessions that he had been carrying had fallen, all sprawled out on the ground around them.

"Watch it, lady." The man huffed, promptly pushing the girl away from him, and not in a generous manner.

"Hey!" She exclaimed. "That wasn't very nice."

"Neither was knocking me down and making me drop everything. I was clearly in a rush." The man grumbled, moving to begin collecting his things.

Lucy, though disgruntled, began to apologize to the man, who had ginger hair and appeared to be very well-built. "Sorry, I didn't mean to, I guess I just froze and…" She trailed off as she began to notice what exactly the man had dropped. She looked around and noticed masses of precious gems sprawled around.

Lucy began putting two and two together, and look at the man as he continued to gather what he had dropped. "Hey, wait a second." She began.

"What?" The burly man growled.

"Is all of this even yours?" The mage, who was sure of the answer, questioned, reaching for her _fleuve d'étoiles_.

"Look, lady, you keep to yourself and I'll keep to myself." He spat. "Why don't you just go to wherever you were heading off to in the first place?"

"I don't think so. This stuff obviously isn't yours." Lucy began, and pulled out her whip, preparing herself and her stance for the inevitable conflict. "Now, you can tell me where you got all of this from, and leave it with me, or we can do this the hard way."

The man scoffed. "You really should've just left when I told you to. Now," he got up and looked the mage in the eye, "I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson. A shame you're not gonna be able to share it with anyone when I'm done with you."

With a sadistic grin, the man charged at Lucy, a movement that the celestial wizard could barely dodge. However, before she could pull off a move, the man spun around and delivered a heavy blow to her, sending her back some distance and onto her back.

The man charged again, but this time Lucy made use of her whip, lashing out and wrapping the end around the man's ankle. In one swift motion, she vigorously swung her arm to the right, sending the man into a nearby tree.

Lucy got up and dusted some dirt off of her clothes, before looking up at the man. He was fuming, to say the least, and Lucy could tell he was planning out his next move.

In attempts to end this battle quickly and return to her own priorities, the girl reached for her keys, and brought one out.

"Open: Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" In an instant a giant, axe-wielding, perverted bull appeared out of thin air, crossing the boundaries between the stars.

"Mooooo, Miss Lucy! Looking as great as ever, I see." The spirit observed, comical hearts popping out of his eye sockets. "The only thing that would make you look better would be if I w—"

"Taurus!" The exasperated summoner interjected, not wanting to hear the rest of that sentence. Regaining her composure, she pointed to the man in front of them. "Taurus, this man is obviously up to no good; we have got to stop him!"

The bull assumed a fighting stance. "If you say so, Miss Lucy. Afterall, once I finish with him, it'll be just you and me."

The caster shuddered at the thought, but knew that she could always just force Taurus away if he became too much to handle.

Focusing her attention once more at the task at hand, she directed her spirit to go straight for the man while she commanded her whip about the man's surroundings, so as to limit his options of mobility.

As Taurus approached the man, it seemed like the outcome would turn out as expected: a quick and easy defeat of the thief. However, the man did something unexpected as the spirit brought his axe up and began to draw it down: he brought his arm up as if to block the incoming blow with his forearm.

"Attribution: Harden! Metallic form!" As Taurus was about to hit the enemy, the enemy's skin transformed into skin of metallic attribution, gaining an immense increase in withstanding ability.

The axe and the man's forearm collided and a sharp sound resonated through the air, piercing Lucy's ear. The spirit remained immobile, caught off guard by this sudden occurrence. Taking advantage of this moment, the man began to say another quick enchantment.

"Attribution: Strength!"

Lucy watched in shock as the opposing mage quickly brought his other arm up and in contact with her spirit's abdomen, sending him several feet up and back, putting him out of commision.

With a dazed expression, Taurus expressed his dismay and apologized for having let his caster down before returning to the Celestial Spirit World.

The attribution mage smirked. "So, lady, you realize now why you should've let me be, don't you?" He took a step forward, casual in demeanor. "You may have your celestial magic, but it's nothing—it's weak compared to what I can do."

Those words struck a nerve in Lucy, however they also echoed her own thoughts, in a sense, at least. She had set out on this mission because she felt weak, or weaker than what she should have been.

Although she knew nothing could change what had happened to her and to her friends—her family—she felt like, had she been stronger, she could have altered the outcome of the incidence on Tenrou Island. If she had had the strength to defeat Kain herself, perhaps she'd have also had the strength to quicken the final battle against Hades, and facilitate an earlier departure from the island, before that cursed dragon appeared and ruined everything.

Because of those feelings, the stellar mage had decided to embark upon a hopefully quick journey to train a while, in preparation for the upcoming Grand Magic Games and to soothe her thoughts.

Of course, her friends also had plans to train for the Games, yet she knew she needed some training alone. With her friends, she would always remain too much in her comfort zone to try to grow as much as she wanted too.

Besides, more accurate than her needing some training alone was her needing some alone time in general. She needed the break from reality, which explained her reasoning for wandering the forest to locate her desired training ground instead of taking the train as she normally would.

Lucy snapped out of her trance and, with a new determination, grabbed and brought out two of her zodiac keys.

She took a deep breath, and then, summoning all of her possible strength, called out for both the Lion and the Maiden to travel across the celestial plain and cross the boundary of the stars. With bright flashes, Loke and Virgo appeared between Lucy and her opposition.

Virgo spoke first. "Princess, may I inquire as to why you summoned both Leo and myself? Did you require him so that he could administer punishment to me?"

The summoner deadpanned. "No, Virgo." Lucy replied. And then, "I summoned both of you to help me prove a point to this man right here: that you guys are not weak!" She said the last part with determination.

"Well, if that's what you want," Loke began, "Then we're here to help. But," the Zodiac leader continued, "I expect proper compensation in the end." He went to smirk, before he was hit in the head by a very agitated celestial mage.

"This is not the time for that, Loke!" She fumed. Regaining her composure, she directed her spirits to ready for the fight, warning them of their opponent's magic.

The two spirits sprung forward to attack as their summoner worked her whip, while the enemy attributed himself enhanced speed so as to keep up with three simultaneous attacks. That, along with his earlier attribution of strength and a hardened exterior, allowed him to receive minimal damage from his opponents while afflicting more upon them.

With heavy sighs, the three celestial fighters realized that they would have to adopt a new strategy to beat this man. He may have more power in brute strength, but they had more brain power.

"Virgo," Lucy started out, "I need you to find a new way to get close."

Although the statement was very vague, the spirit knew exactly what her summoner wanted. In an instant the Maiden drilled a hole and proceeded to travel beneath the surface.

"That ain't gonna work, lady." The man chided. "Attribution: Sensitivity! Now I'll be able to hear and feel where exactly your little spirit is gonna come from." However, upon casting this enchantment, the thief lost his harden exterior, perhaps due to his new enchantment's contradictory nature in regards to his first enchantment, perhaps due to some other unknown factor.

This gave Lucy an idea.

"Loke," the mage said, ignoring her opponent's snide comments, "I need you to use your brightest move and make it so that he can't open his eyes."

"As you wish."

Lifting his arm, Loke used a Regulus enchantment, bathing the area in a golden ray.

The man shut his eyes, but spoke. "It doesn't matter if I can see, I can still hear and feel where you guys are! What part of that don't you understand?"

Lucy wasn't sure if her plan would work, but this was the last idea she had, an idea that rested on an assumption she had in mind.

She sent forth her whip, and, as the man went to dodge it, she yelled.

"Virgo—now!"

The spirit shot out of the ground and into the thief's path—that is, into where he was moving to dodge Lucy's whip. The Maiden gave him a powered kick, and then the Lion came forth and hit with a Regulus-powered punch. The impact sent the man flying, sending him into a nearby tree.

Soon, a sense of achievement overtook Lucy, who gave out a triumphant cry and a wondrous smile.

"Good job, guys! We did it! Thanks for everything!" And with that, she dismissed her spirits.

Before anything else, the mage took the time to use her whip—her normal, Earthland one, not the _fleuve d'étoiles_—to tie her incapacitated opponent to the tree which he had hit. Then, she grabbed the bag he had been carrying and filled it with all the jewels that had spread out throughout their battle and from their initial meeting.

With a sigh, Lucy, though exhausted from her battle—the drain of summoning so many Zodiac back to back had begun to hit her—began to try to find clues as to where these jewels came from, though it seemed an impossible task.

* * *

After some time, Lucy, exhausted and annoyed, gave up on trying to learn the origins of the jewels, and decided to wait for the thief to wake from his unconsciousness.

The Fairy Tail mage sighed, and, refusing to sleep due to no one else being present to keep watch over the man, sat underneath a tree across from the man, her resolution to stay awake strong yet wavering.

She was just about ready to relax when, all of a sudden, she heard footsteps approaching her from her right.

She turned in that direction and saw a man—young, blond, tall, owner of a shirt that was way too small for him.

Lucy tensed. She was still too exhausted to summon more spirits to fight, yet, if this man came to aid the other, what other choice did she have?

However, when the man began to speak, he surprised Lucy.

"So, you did my work for me." The man said. "Makes my day easier, although it's not like it was going to be much harder had I had to do this." He commented.

"Huh?" The blonde girl questioned. "Who are you?"

At that question, the man seemed taken aback—offended, even—and stared at Lucy in disbelief.

"You're kidding, right?" He interrogated.

"No." She replied. "Should I be?"

"Yes." He stated.

"Well, I'm not. So, are you going to answer the question?" Lucy pressed.

The man smirked and regained his composure. "Sure. Maybe you've just never been able to put a face to the name. I'm Sting Eucliffe, Sabertooth's White Dragon."

Lucy froze.


	3. Chapter Two: A Tense Encounter

Hey, so, so far, so good! I actually am keeping up with promised update dates so far! I deserve a gold star at this point, honestly.

Anyway, I have a few quick things to say regarding this chapter and some things I want to point out that will make reading this easier.

The word "interlocutor" is a person who partakes in a conversation/dialogue. In the cases that it is used in this chapter, it means the person to whom one of the characters is talking.

Second, for those of you who have never known the difference between "blond" and "blonde," this will be _very _important throughout this story. "Blond" is for guys and will normally refer to Sting; "blonde" is for girls and will almost always refer to Lucy.

Lastly, I just wanted to say that this chapter is way shorter than I wanted it to be, but I fit in everything that I needed to in regards of where I wanted this chapter to go, so I'm sorry about that.

Anyway, sorry for the long intro, I hope you enjoy the chapter (I feel like it could have been better, but I hope you guys are okay with it). You should all leave a review because they make my day!

Anyway, see you next time (April 19, 2019)

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Chapter Two: A Tense Encounter

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Lucy, who remained still, continued to stare at the man in front of her, the man who, to the extent of her knowledge, could very well be the infamous White "Dragon" she had heard of since her return. She had no knowledge of the man other than he was a dragon slayer from the Sabertooth guild—anything concerning his appearance had evaded her ears—and so she had nothing to refute this man's claim.

However true this proved, though, the man also had nothing to certify his claim, as far as Lucy was concerned. He could, as she had earlier suspected, have come to aid her victim, have come to try to rescue him without raising suspicion or expending too much energy. If the latter were the case, the battered wizard remained a little grateful, as she barely had any energy left to expend herself.

She stayed alert, her hands laying over her keys in case something happened, and spoke. "I don't believe you."

The blond, who had had a smirk plastered on his face, changed his expression. At first he seemed confused—for whatever reason, Lucy had no idea. However, after a second, he seemed to become annoyed once again with the celestial mage, something about which Lucy still remained clueless.

"What's not to believe about it?" He demanded, taking an assertive step forward. At some point he had clenched his fists, something the Fairy Tail mage had only just noticed.

Although Lucy continuously became more worried, she had to play strong, to display courage. If she faltered now, the man would know he had almost complete control of the situation.

"I haven't seen anything that proves who you claim to be." Lucy replied, tensing up even more as his demeanor continued changing. She could no longer tell how things would play out.

He continued to approach the celestial mage who lay on the ground, her back resting against the tree. The latter became worried—frightened, to an extent. Even though much time had passed since she roamed around other wizards outside of her guild (due to her stagnation on Tenrou Island, of course), she was still able to somewhat gage the magic power of those around her, and that of the man approaching her seemed to grow to a new level, one much greater than her own.

In her state, there seemed no possible way for her to put up a fight against him.

_Hell, there's no way I'd be able to put up a fight against him even if I were at full energy_, the spirit mage thought to herself. Bitter thoughts like these were what had encouraged her to set out on her mission in the first place.

The man stopped at a distance not too close to Lucy so as to seem invading of her personal space, but close enough so as to keep her as alert and tense as ever. The blond brought his right hand—still in a fist—to his side, pointing out his index finger to the tree which Lucy's victim rested against.

"Here's your proof." He said—and a beam of white light shot out of his index finger. It went through the tree he had aimed at—and several others behind that. They all came crashing down, a climactic crescendo that resulted in an astonished look appearing on Lucy's face.

Lucy, who now believed in the man's claim, could hardly believe what she had just witnessed. She had heard many times since her return about how Sabertooth's White Dragon—along with his counterpart—numbered among some of the strongest mages in all of Fiore nowadays; however, she had never imagined that he would have the power to do what she had just seen while hardly using any magic power, let alone whiling only lifting one sole finger.

The Saber's smirk found its way back to his face once he saw the blonde's expression, and he began to speak again:

"Now, just in case _that_ didn't change your mind," he started out, speaking in that tone that irked Lucy—the one where the speaker knew they had accomplished their goal but chose to rub salt in the wound. He turned slightly to his right and pointed to a white marking on his left shoulder before finishing his sentence. "This sure as hell should."

There, on his left shoulder, Lucy could see what appeared to resemble a tiger's head.

"So," the man—Sting—said, "Any other comments?"

The girl remained silent, unsure of what to say. She squirmed a little, sitting a little differently so as to get herself into a slightly more comfortable position. She shifted her weight from one side to the other and, finally, moved her hands off of her keys. She had no idea if that was the best idea, but she did it, and hoped that nothing bad would arise from her decision.

After a minute or two, Sting became irritated again. "Well? Are you going to say something or what? Where did that attitude from earlier go, Blondie?"

"Blondie?" Lucy responded, having finally had a response elicited from her. She processed what Sting had just said to her, and then: "You're also blond, idiot."

And, once again, the smirk disappeared from the Saber's face. "Who the hell are you calling an idiot?" He questioned.

"You, obviously." Lucy retorted.

"Man," the Fairy Tail mage continued, "I know I just called you an idiot, but I was mostly kidding. But I'm not so sure anymore…" She trailed off.

It seemed as if Sting was about to blow, but he stopped himself. Instead, he changed the topic of the conversation.

"Whatever." He puffed. "Now, tell me, why were you out here doing my job?"

The holder mage stared at her company, slightly confused as to what he was talking about. She looked to the side and saw the man whom she had fought earlier—and then she recovered from her momentary lapse of memory.

"Oh." She said. "I was out here doing…" She paused, thinking about what she should say, and then decided upon: "Doing my own thing. And then I ran into that man. Well, more like he ran into me, but that's not important right now. While he was scrambling to gather everything he had dropped, I began to realize the stuff wasn't his, so I took matters into my own hands. And, so, now we're here."

Lucy looked back at Sting, looking to see if he had any visible expression, any visible emotion that could explain what he was thinking.

Sting, however, was looking at the man whom Lucy had fought earlier. After some time, he looked back at Lucy. After some time, it appeared evident that he was examining her.

"So, it looks like you got yourself beat up pretty bad." He stated, taking a step forward. Then, "You know, it's reasons like this why you shouldn't do other people's work; you might be too weak to do a mission you know nothing about."

The Fairy Tail mage looked down upon hearing those words, those words that echoed her own. Although the tears stung her eyes, although the tears themselves cried out for release, the Zodiac wielder refused to let them out.

However, she did raise her right hand to her face so as to cover her eyes from her interlocutor.

"Huh," Sting, who continued observing Lucy, said in a low voice, "Fairy Tail."

There was a pause, but what Lucy heard next shook her to her core: the sound of laughter. The man had begun to chuckle.

All the tears that had been trying to escape the celestial mage's eyes suddenly vanished; her hand lowered. She looked up at Sting, who was rubbing away his own tears—tears from laughing too hard.

"_What_ is so funny?" Lucy pressed. Now, in contrast to their earlier predicament, her demeanor began to change, as did her temper.

Sting finally caught his breath, and then looked at his interrogator. Then he said, "It's just—that explains so much. You're in Fairy Tail—I'm surprised you could even beat this guy in a fight. That's why you're so beaten up. I mean, after all, your guild has been the laughingstock of Fiore for years."

The blonde, her body forgetting all pain or lack of energy, started to rise. Once up, she brushed some dirt off of her clothes. After a moment of silence, she began to approach the Saber across from her.

Her rationale screamed out at her to stop what her body planned to do, but to no avail. Her limbs seemed to move on their own, her body an empty shell. It was too late now—Lucy felt as if she had left her body and could now merely observe the spectacle.

He looked at her, and, once again, began to make some remarks. "You know, the ladies usually throw themselves at me, so there's no need for you to try to be so su—"

He was cut off by a sharp sound, one that echoed throughout the forest around them, one that traveled into the skies that bled with all the colors of crimson and all the crimsons of the setting sun.

After that moment, Lucy seemed to return to her body, seemed to regain control. And then, having just hit the man across his face, the celestial mage lowered her hand, turned, and began to leave, taking slow and steady steps. She kept her head down, watching the ground as she returned to the trail she had been traveling at the beginning of this whole ordeal.

Along the way, she stopped near the tree where she had rested earlier. The spirit mage bent down, grabbed two bags, and threw the smaller one behind her and towards the dumbstruck figure who seemed frozen, locked in time.

"Those are the jewels the man stole earlier; return them." Lucy voiced. And with that, the blonde continued her journey.

With her head down and her heart depressed, the celestial wizard journeyed towards her unknown destination, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

* * *

_July, X791_

As Lucy gazed into the sea-colored eyes of the person sitting next to her, she remembered the hurt that her first interaction with Sting had brought her—the pain that he had inflicted upon her. It all seemed so similar to what she had felt throughout the duration of the Grand Magic Games.

No matter how much she tried to think that Sting would never mean to do something like that to her with malicious and purposeful intent, she couldn't bring herself to believe it. As much as she wanted to, as much as she willed herself to believe that Sting would change for the better, just like he had before, her mind just told her that he would change back, just as he had done as well.

"Lucy…" Sting said in a broken tone, gazing back into the soft, chocolate-colored eyes of his interlocutor. He knew that their situation had come about due to his actions and his words, and the anguish of it all ate away at his heart. The dread of knowing that he was the one who had ruined the relationship with the one person he had come to trust since he had first met Rogue, Frosch, and Lector encompassed his every thought.

The person whose name he had mentioned looked down, the tear still rolling down her cheek.

"This seems all too familiar." She said, and gave a bitter chuckle at the thought.

"I wish it didn't. I wish…" Sting paused, taking a painful swallow.

"You wish what?" Lucy questioned, looking back up at the man across from her.

"I wish there wasn't anything for this to seem familiar to in the first place."


	4. Chapter Three: Standoff

**Hello, everyone. I don't really have much to say. I was going through old docs and found this third chapter that I never finished. I didn't finish it, I just fixed the grammar and gave it a title. I figured I might as well share what would have happened next with anyone who still cares. Although it also kind of seems rude considering I know I am not going to continue, but oh well. **

**I'm sorry for everyone who did enjoy reading this, but things change, and I just don't have the time and the passion for fanfictions anymore.**

**Anyway, enjoy what little left there is.**

* * *

Chapter Three: Standoff

_April X791_

Sting remained motionless, remained at a loss for words as the small, blonde-haired figure retreated, continuously growing even smaller in the distance. He still could not comprehend what had just happened, could not believe what she—Lucy—had just done to him. The event seemed to transpire out of nowhere to him; he saw no reason for her outburst. Sure, he had poked fun at her guild (though, honestly, he meant every word he said and every thought he thought about the Fairy Tail guild), but he hadn't really gone over the line, or he felt so, at least.

As Lucy continued her leave, the Sabertooth mage suddenly seemed to snap back into reality—and reality seemed to snap him back hard. His temper rose, yet his demeanor remained calm. In seconds, his body began to move; he began to run towards the celestial spirit wielder.  
"Hey, you!" He shouted as he neared his target.

Lucy heard the voice over her shoulder and tried to ignore it. She focused her attention on the ground in front of her, the trail that she hoped would lead her away from this situation, hide her from all of the hassle. Unfortunately, despite all her efforts, she couldn't help but notice Sting's rapid approach.

There was nothing more that Lucy wanted in that moment than for the Sabertooth mage to disappear, or for her to be able to just continue her departure without his ever catching up. However much she yearned for that, though, she began to reason that, in her current state, it probably was best to give in.

Her body protested her stopping, but, alas, she halted and turned to face the other blond. In seconds, Sting caught up to her. He approached her, towering over her; she barely reached his shoulders.

There was a moment of silence, and then, "What the hell was that?" The words echoed throughout the darkening sky which signaled the coming of night.

The Fairy Tail mage responded with more silence as she considered the question and considered all her possible answers. Truthfully, she didn't really have an answer, she had just acted on a whim; however, seeing Sting standing there in front of her, waiting for an answer while most likely becoming impatient with her, she decided to come up with a response.

"It's what you deserved." The petite mage responded after what seemed a standoff that could endure for an eternity.

Hearing that response, Sting became even more flabbergasted than before, more outraged than he had anticipated that he would become.

"What I deserved?" He echoed, a look of disbelief plastered across his face.

"Yes." Lucy replied. "That's what I said."

Lucy stood there, still exhausted from her fight earlier. Her body called out for her to take her leave and find a place to rest, even more so than before due to night's approaching. She knew there was bound to be a town nearby. Her body ached for a nice, cozy bed in a quaint little hotel to rest in, as she had been spending her past few nights away in a tent against the cold, unforgiving ground.

As the blonde lost herself in her thoughts, the other blond took whatever time he could to observe her. Of course, she was shorter—much shorter—than him. She was quite busty (What? Of course Sting would take note of that), and she sure seemed like she didn't mind showing it off (much to his pleasure).

He continued his examination, and then stopped once he reached her eyes. Her spirit seemed so alive and feisty, yet, looking into those eyes, he saw that they were quite empty, void—as if someone had robbed them of their life, perhaps even their joy.

Both blonds had lost themselves in their minds—quite frankly, to passerbys, if there were any, they would have appeared as a pair of idiots, worthy of the blond stereotype.

Minutes passed, and the first to rekindle the conversation was Sting. "So," he began, "what did I do to deserve it, then?"

Lucy, jolted back to reality by her interlocutor, continued to stare at him—this time, however, aware of her surroundings. And then,

"Sorry, what did you say?" The spirit mage asked.

Sting sighed. "I said, 'what did I do to deserve it?'"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No."

Lucy became irritated. Then, glaring at her interrogator, she began, "You insulted my guild. That's what you did. And, unless you're going to apologize, there's no point for me to stay here."

The White Dragon was taken aback. At first, he thought she was joking, yet the look on her face told him that she was far from that. Part of him told him that he should just apologize and get it over with; his pride, however, would never give in to his rationality.

"Why would I apologize for saying something based on the truth?"

"And what exactly is 'the truth'?" Lucy demanded, her temper rising even more.

"You know what I'm talking about." Sting replied, growing slightly more irritated, just as Lucy did. "Your guild—it's a joke." He spat out at the end .

Just as he had earlier, it seemed like Sting had drawn the last straw, and the Fairy Tail mage exploded.

"A joke?" She questioned, her tone making it seem more like a demand. "A joke?" She repeated, outraged at what he had said to her. "What exactly makes it a joke? Tell me." She demanded, taking a step forward, pointing at Sting. "Please, tell me; I'm just dying to know what's so funny. I could use a good laugh."

After seeing her reaction, Sting decided there was no reason for him to remain calm or to even attempt to—his temperament also began to escalate.

The Sabertooth mage raised his hand and grabbed the Fairy Tail mage's, the one she had been pointing with. "You better watch your attitude, Blondie." He seathed, "You don't know what you're messing with."

The blonde tried to jerk her hand away and out of his grip but could not find release from it. His physical strength trumped hers tenfold—or that's how she felt—and she had already learned earlier that she couldn't, especially in her current state, match him in magical prowess. Her demeanor began to change as she began to realize her mistake; her aggression began to retreat as feelings of anxiety and worry entered her.

Sting, his hand still locked in place on Lucy's, noticed the changes in Lucy, noticed her loss of fire and gain of fear. How Sting felt next certainly surprised him.

Normally, the White Dragon slayer grew excited when he was able to spark fear in his prey. To him, it reminded him of his power, the power he had been working to attain his whole life. Not only so, it also distracted him from the things missing from his life, things of which he himself was still unaware.

However, in contrast to his normal excitedness, he felt nothing at all. He knew he had practically terrified the girl, and yet he felt no pride in his show of power. In fact, though he had a more neutral feeling of the situation, a small, very tiny part of him felt ashamed with what he had done.

He brushed that very small part of him aside, and then let go of her hand, letting it fall. Now it was his turn to part in silence; he turned and walked back towards the thief, taking slow steps.

* * *

**Well, it's over I think. Who knows. Let me know what you guys think, still! I'd love to know. It still means a lot to me.**

**Thank you all for everything, past and present. **

**Until maybe (but probably unlikely) next time.**

**~AGuyOnAComputer a.k.a Peter **


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